Wayne State University president steps down

Wayne State University President Allan Gilmour of Birmingham is stepping down and the WSU Board of Governor's has started the process to recruit and select a new leader of the 29,000-student school.

Gilmour, 78, who was named president in January 2011 and had a bout with prostate cancer shortly after, will retire when his contract expires June 30, when he is 79.

On Monday, the WSU Board of Governors approved the establishment of a Presidential Search Advisory Committee. This is the first step of the search process for a permanent successor to Gilmour.

The board's goal is to appoint a new president by the Fall term.

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Meanwhile, Deputy President Phyllis Vroom will continue to work with Gilmour to carry out the responsibilities of the top office, said Matt Lockwood, WSU spokesman.

Vroom, former dean of the WSU School of Social Work and acting president in 2010, was called back from retirement a year ago to assist Gilmour.

Although Gilmour's doctor has declared him cancer free, the treatment he is taking on a regular basis to hold off the aggressive form of cancer causes fatigue, so he can't work as many hours as he would like, Lockwood said.

Initially, Gilmour, a former Ford Motor Co. vice chairman, accepted the position only as interim after former President Jay Noren's unexpected resignation in August 2010.

But Gilmour was so well-liked and did such a good job that the WSU Board asked him to stay on and he agreed.

A graduate of Harvard University and the University of Michigan, Gilmour spent most of his career at Ford Motor, from which he retired in 1995 as vice chairman. He rejoined the company as vice chairman in 2002, and retired again in 2005.

The search committee, chaired by board member Gary Pollard, will provide information and advice to the Board of Governors, and develop and recommend a pool of prospective candidates for consideration. The committee is comprised of representatives from the board, faculty, staff, administration, students, alumni and members of the Detroit metropolitan community.

The candidates will be selected based on the criteria adopted by the Board of Governors after a series of three forums soliciting community input and individual comments emailed to BOG@wayne.edu.

Following initial rounds of evaluations, the search committee will provide the board with an unranked list of no more than five people it recommends as the most highly qualified candidates for the presidency.

The first forum will be held on Monday, Nov. 26, at 5:30 p.m. in the Blue Lecture Hall in Scott Hall.